WHALE-FISHERY. 229 



a tunnel or spout, which conveys it into the fenk- 

 back, where it remains as long as the capacity of 

 the vessel will admit; a portion of brown oil, which 

 is constantly found rising to the surface, being, in 

 the meantime, occasionally skimmed off. 



A few years ago, my father instituted a process 

 for reducing blubber into oil, by the use of steam; 

 and a similar process has been adopted in Hull, and 

 other ports, and applied to the extraction of oil, 

 with considerable advantage. 



From a ton, or 252 gallons by measure, of blub- 

 ber, there generally arises from 50 to 65 gallons 

 of refuse, whereof the greater part is a watery 

 fluid. The constant presence of this fluid, which 

 boils at a much lower temperature than the oil, 

 prevents the oil itself from boiling, which is, 

 probably an advantage, since, in the event of the 

 oil being boiled, some of the finest and most in- 

 flammable part, would fly off in the form of vapour; 

 whereas, the principal part of the steam, which 

 now escapes, is produced from the water. 



Some persons make a practice of adding a quan- 

 tity of water, amounting, perhaps, to half a ton, to 

 the contents of each copper, with the view of weak- 

 ening or attenuating the viscid impurities contained 

 in the blubber, and thus obtaining a finer oil; others 

 consider the quantity of watery fluid, already in the 

 blubber, as sufficient for producing every needful 

 effect. 



Each day, immediately after the copper is emp- 

 tied, and while it is yet hot, the men employed in 



